US President Donald Trump has proposed including Venezuela in the United States as the 51st state. He made the statement in late October 2026 during a campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Speaking to supporters, Trump noted that relations between Washington and Caracas had become "remarkable" and suggested that Venezuela could become part of the US in the future.
"Who knows, maybe soon it will become a prosperous 51st state. Let's make it the 51st state, and then instead of a president we'll elect a governor," the American leader said.
Trump linked his proposal to the large-scale oil reserves in the South American country. During the same speech, he announced the arrival in Texas of the first million barrels of Venezuelan oil as a "gift" under new agreements.
Trump first raised the possibility of Venezuela's accession in spring 2026 in an interview with Fox News and on the social network Truth Social. Venezuela's current leadership, headed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, categorically rejected the idea at the time, stressing that the country values its sovereignty and would never agree to become an American colony. In addition, under US law, incorporating any new territory into the Union as a state requires mandatory approval from Congress.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Trump officially announced the conclusion of an agreement under which the US gains control over the majority of Venezuela's oil reserves amounting to more than 65 billion barrels.
Thus, Trump's proposal to include Venezuela as the 51st state remains a statement made at a campaign rally and has not yet developed into concrete legislative steps. However, it came alongside the description of relations between Washington and Caracas as "remarkable" and new agreements in the oil sector. Given that the Venezuelan side previously rejected the idea and that US legislation requires congressional approval for such an accession, the prospects for implementing the initiative remain uncertain.